Historical designation sought for Steel Bridge

The one-lane steel bridge that crosses the Swan River where it empties into Bigfork Bay may soon be recognized as a historical landmark.

Members of the Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork are in the process of submitting a nomination to get the 100-year-old bridge on the Montana National Register of Historic Places.

Built by A.Y. Bayne & Company of Minneapolis, the existing steel structure replaced the 10-year old wooden bridge that had been condemned by the county.

Flathead County awarded the bridge construction to the A.Y. Bayne & Company in June of 1911, but work didn’t begin until November. The bridge was completed in late spring of 1912.

The nomination application for historical designation is being compiled by Jon Axline. Though Axline is part of the cultural resource staff for the Montana Department of Transportation and specializes in historic bridges, he is helping with the Steel Bridge nomination outside of work, in his own time, because he feels it is historically significant and should be recognized as such.

The pin-connected Pratt through truss bridge is a style of bridge that appeared all over Montana in the early 1900’s as the state’s population began to grow, and was very common before 1915. Though now, Axline says there are only about 15 of those bridges left in the whole state.

“Those kinds of bridges are fast becoming rare,” Axline said. “They used to be all over the place. It’s a part of history that’s really disappearing fast.” Axline thinks the Steel Bridge very well may be the last of its kind in all of Flathead County.

The nomination application prepared by Axline also speculates that the bridge was likely the last of its kind built in Montana by the A.Y. Bayne & Company, which was very active in Montana between 1906 and 1911.

Despite its age, the bridge has only been modified slightly over the years, with the sidewalk added later, and the guardrails replaced. The county paid $4,400 for the original bridge.

In 2012 Flathead county conducted some minimal repairs, plugging holes and adding handrails to the sidewalk. 

“I think the county has gotten their money’s worth out of it.”Axline said.

The decision to try and get the bridge listed on the historical register was spurred, in part, by the knowledge that Flathead County is seeking funds to replace the structure. Though recognition as a historic landmark technically does nothing to prevent the bridge from being replaced, both Axline and members of the Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork hope it will encourage the county to look at options other than replacement, to improve the safety of the structure.

“It just recognizes that it is historically and structurally significant,” Axline said. “It might not save the bridge, but it sure wouldn’t hurt. I think it will help to look at ways to preserve it, rather than replace it.”

Members of the community foundation feel that the bridge is iconic to Bigfork, and while it does need to be brought up to current safety standards, they hope to work with the county and state to maintain the bridge’s “iconic” look.

Over the summer Flathead County applied for state funding to replace the steel bridge. The bridge has a weight limit of three tons, and because it is a 100-year-old bridge, it’s wearing out.

The estimated cost to replace the bridge, according to the Montana Department of Transportation, is over $1 million. 

Flathead County public works director Dave Prunty said the Department of Transportation’s estimated cost is based on a two-lane concrete bridge with a pedestrian walkway. The two-lane concrete design is based on federal regulations. Prunty said a single lane bridge isn’t a preferred option unless there are extenuating circumstances. Though he doesn’t know if a two-lane bridge would fit within the county right-of-way on Bridge Street.

Prunty said he doesn’t know how a historical designation would affect the eventual replacement or repairs to the bridge.

“I’m not versed in the historic register and what that adds to a project,” he said. “I would have to look to folks who are knowledgeable in this area. Our goal is to assure safe operations for the users of the bridge at a cost effective price to our taxpayers throughout the entire county.”

The bridge engineers at the Montana Department of Transportation have said they are working with the county to get the bridge nominated and into the design and replacement process, but they don’t have any kind of timeline set yet, and given the department’s current list of projects it would likely be a few years before anything is done.

Prunty said he hasn’t yet heard if they’ve received any funding for the bridge.

Axline said sometimes there is funding available for structures recognized on the historic register.

Axline has spoken to the State Historic Preservation office, and the bridge will be on the list for consideration at the State Review Board’s meeting in Livingston in May. 

While he said the Montana Historic Registry is notorious for being hard to get on, he feels there is a strong case for a historic designation for the Swan River Steel Bridge.

“I think it’s a no-brainer,” he said.

If everything goes well with the nomination, Axline thinks the bridge could be on the register by mid July.